We married in a studio just around the corner from our house, covered in gorgeous vines that claimed their territory along the interior roof too. We styled the space minimally but beautifully, with one of my bridesmaids making a huge, gorgeous wreath. We played music from our gramophone and important people read special passages. Afterwards we enjoyed great Kokako coffee, hot chocolate and Karma Cola with our guests, served from The Tinman’s Citroen van. The bridal party then snuck off to Orphan’s Kitchen in Ponsonby with our photographers, where we enjoyed a wine and embraced all the emotions with our best friends before heading to the reception.
Mum and I designed my dress together. The facial expressions I got when I told people she was making it mostly consisted of terror – for her sake – not mine. I think some weddings become very dramatic, very quickly, when the bride doesn’t like her dress. Mum is a gentle, creative perfectionist though, and I trusted her entirely. I feel humbled she put aside all those hours to create the patterns, trial fabrics, iron those precious pleats and sew it all together. It was an honour to wear such a gorgeous dress, crafted by someone so special to me, and was exactly what I wanted.
For our reception, we shared platters from our favourite local cafe, Monday’s Wholefoods, on Holly Houston’s gorgeous ceramics. We dined on tables from a sweet little vintage furniture hire shop, The Vitrine, just up from our home in Grey Lynn, and most of all we celebrated at our go-to coffee destination, Good One (now Little & Friday).
The theme for our wedding was just to embrace and enjoy all our favourite things, in one day. This meant keeping it local, utilising our favourite creatives and people who were already apart of our lives and keeping it simple – not letting things get in the way of spending time with our guests, relaxing and having fun.
Our advice for other couples getting married is don’t be afraid to go small – people will understand. We loved the intimacy of our celebration, not treating our wedding as a catch-up with long lost friends and relatives, but rather as a party with those closest to us. And if you’re stressing over some detail, ask yourself if you’ll enjoy the day any less because of it.
Photography, Josh Griggs | Flora, Leaf & Honey | Brides Shoes, Kathryn Wilson | Bridesmaid Dresses, Gorman | Groom’s Attire, Barkers Jacket, Topshop Sweater, Shirt AS Colour | Ceremony Venue, Public Library | Reception, Good One Cafe | Catering, Monday’s Wholefoods, The Tinman Van
